Asia
Bank of England and IMF bosses warn of cyber threat to trust in financial system
Kristalina Georgieva says online fraud could lead people to opt out of system and turn to'shoeboxes under their bed' The heads of the Bank of England and the International Monetary Fund have issued a stark warning that rising cyber-attacks risk undermining trust in the financial system. Speaking on a panel about online fraud at the IMF and World Bank meetings in Bangkok, the governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, pointed to alarming headlines about self-replicating AI agents hijacking personal devices, and the French supermarket hack that heated fridges up to 50C . "If you try to say what's at the heart of this debate about AI - for me, it's about trust in technology and it's about human control to achieve that trust in technology," he said. Pointing to the key importance of technology in underpinning today's financial system, he added: "If we don't have trust in money, we don't operate as a society." Echoing his concerns, the IMF's managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, said the toll of cyber-fraud was now so great that people could decide to opt out of the formal financial system altogether.
India's 'Cockroach' leaders jailed after entering 'banned' protest site
India's'Cockroach' leaders jailed after entering'banned' protest site India's'Cockroach' leaders jailed after entering'banned' protest site Two leaders of India's Cockroach Janta Party have been jailed for five days after entering Delhi's'Jantar Mantar' protest site to demand the election chief's resignation. The previously designated protest area recently lost its status as an authorised protest venue. Share India's'Cockroach' leaders jailed after entering'banned' protest site on social media Palestinians say Israel's democracy'is a joke'
Turkish police raid opposition TV station, halting live broadcasts
Turkish police have raided the headquarters of a pro-opposition TV channel, halting its live broadcasts. Halk TV said its employees were unable to enter the building in Istanbul on Wednesday morning, and that a new manager had been appointed to run the channel. Reports in Turkish media said financial crimes police were searching the building and 11 people had been taken into custody in the raid linked to the channel's owner. Halk TV has been seen by many in the country as being close to the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP). It often voices criticism of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's ruling AK party.
Palestinians say Israel's democracy 'is a joke'
Palestinians say Israel's democracy'is a joke' Palestinians say Israel's democracy'is a joke' As Israelis prepare to vote, Palestinians in the occupied West Bank say they have little hope of change, as they face movement restrictions, expanding settlements and the threat of forcible displacement, with no say in the Israeli elections shaping the reality they live under. Share Palestinians say Israel's democracy'is a joke' on social media Vatican confirms Pope Leo's surgery was successful Food shortages in Yemen's Taiz as Houthi siege hits supplies
'Massive' Russian attack on Ukraine kills at least six, damages power sites
'Massive' Russian attack on Ukraine kills at least six, damages power sites Share'Massive' Russian attack on Ukraine kills at least six, damages power sites on social media Russian air attacks have killed at least six people in Ukraine and left hundreds of thousands without power, days after United States President Donald Trump announced an "energy ceasefire" in the more-than four year war. The Russian Defence Ministry said on Wednesday that its forces had carried out a "massive" strike against communications and energy infrastructure facilities in Ukraine, the Interfax news agency reported. Other targets included a heating and power plant in Ukraine's second-largest city Kharkiv, along with a thermal power facility which the ministry said supplied the Ukrainian military in the southeast of the Kharkiv region. Moscow said its forces had also hit a data centre in Kyiv which it said was used to gather intelligence on Russia's military. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko urged people to remain in shelters.
Saudi Arabia overturns death sentence for man over Facebook comment, Sri Lanka says
Saudi Arabia's Supreme Court has set aside the death sentence handed to a Sri Lankan migrant worker over a comment he made on Facebook, Colombo's Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemachandra said. Anojan Sivarasa, 27, was sentenced to death in September after a Saudi appellate court convicted him of blasphemy against Islam and the Prophet Muhammad over his comment. The case sent shockwaves through Sri Lanka, spurring diplomatic efforts to seek clemency. Saudi Arabia's top court set aside the sentence on Wednesday, Hemachandra said in a post on Facebook, where he thanked the authorities and legal teams of both nations for their efforts. In late June, footage of a young Muslim man kicking a dog following Hindu pilgrims circulated widely on social media, triggering religious arguments online.
World's oldest shipwreck found off coast of Turkey
World's oldest shipwreck found off coast of Turkey To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The world's oldest shipwreck has been discovered off the coast of Turkey, archaeologists say. They have dated it to between 4,400 and 4,700 years old, which is the Early Bronze Age, and is around the same time that the Great Pyramid was being built. The ship's wooden structure has not survived, but the ceramic storage pots it was carrying were lying on the sea floor and, remarkably, some still contain traces of what they held inside. The archaeologists who found the ship say it was about 10m in length and was a trade vessel carrying cargo across the Mediterranean Sea.